Missing
by voice of morgoth
Summary: Dipper is kidnapped by a mysterious enemy. It's up to Mabel to try and save him.
1. Taken

Dipper charged through the forest, brushing past trees as he desperately searched for a sign of any sort.

"Mabel! Where are you?!"

He tripped over an overturned branch as he continued running.

"Oh, God! Mabel!"

He ran through, eventually stumbling into a clearing. _Oh no… Please no!_

_Two days earlier_

Dipper and Mabel were back in Gravity Falls, Oregon for the fourth time. The sixteen year olds stepped off the bus and ran up to greet their great uncle.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel shouted as she jumped at the old man. He grunted in pain at the weight of his great niece.

"Ow, calm down! I'm not as young as I used to be." he said as he wrapped his arms around Mabel.

"Hey, kids. How's life down south been treating you?"

"It's been fine." Dipper said as he walked up carrying his bags.

"How's the shop going?"

Stan shrugged indifferently.

"Come on; let's get your old place set up." Stan said as he walked off. As the twins walked into the shack, a strange old man walked off the bus, dressed far too expensively for someone traveling to the little town. His pale white skin cracked slightly in the morning sun as he walked off into the town.

Dipper and Mabel followed Stan into the Mystery Shack, where Soos was fiddling behind the counter.

"Hi Dipper, hi Mabel." he said as he took out a fake stuffed animal, a strange cross between a raccoon and a monkey. Stan picked up the creepy thing and showed it to Dipper and Mabel.

"Introducing… the monkey-coon!"

Dipper laughed awkwardly.

"You may need to work on the name."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Coon is a racist slang, and so is monkey."

Stan grumbled.

"Damn racists have to ruin everything."

Dipper laughed as Mabel ran up the stairs with her bags.

_The next day_

Dipper and Mabel were manning the counter when an old, pale man walked in.

"Hello, welcome to the Mystery Shack!" Mabel shouted cheerfully as the gangly man hobbled towards the counter. He gazed at Mabel hungrily, before turning to Dipper with the same glare.

"Uh, sir? Are you all right?" Mabel asked worriedly. The man turned and left the pair awkwardly watching the counter.

"I think we may need to consult the journals again." Dipper said.

_Two hours later_

Dipper flipped through the three journals, attempting to find some clue as to the strange man, but he found no mention of him.

"There's nothing here. Maybe he's just a freak." Dipper said.

"You worry too much, Dip's." Mabel said as she tossed a large rubber ball in the air like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.

"Well, better safe than sorry. After saving the world from Bill Cipher, I'm not taking any chances when weirdos show up."

As Dipper put the journals down, Mabel accidently kicked the ball over her head and knocked over a lamp.

"Oops."

_Midnight_

Dipper and Mabel were sound asleep, not noticing the window creaking open from the outside. The shady man hovered into the room and looked around. The man crept around until he spotted what he was looking for. He maneuvered into one of the bags and took out the journals. He set them down on the floor and moved in to claim his prize.

Dipper awoke in the night and turned over and noticed Mabel missing.

_Maybe she's using the bathroom._

Dipper yawned as he looked down. The journals were out on the floor, not where he left them. He began worrying. He knew all too well what this bizarre town could do, and he always prepared for the worst, even after Bill was defeated and the mysterious occurrences slowly stopped. Dipper got up and began searching the Mystery Shack. Not finding any sign of Mabel, he began panicking. He turned on the lamp and began frantically putting together supplies before heading out. He noticed a strange glow vanishing into the forest and dashed off in that direction.

"Mabel! Where are you?!" he shouted.

"Oh, God! Mabel!"

Dipper ran into a forest clearing. _ Oh no… please no._

Dipper noticed a dark figure with an unnatural, sickly grey glow carrying his sister.

"Let her go, you bastard!" Dipper shouted at the figure, which revealed itself as the old man from earlier. He laid Mabel on the ground before turning towards Dipper.

"I seek the one who defeated Bill Cipher." he muttered. Dipper approached the strange figure. He had no plans, no way to defeat this unknown threat.

"Who are you?" Dipper asked.

"…You question me while your life is in danger?"

"I do. Who are you and what do you want!"

"I require the one who defeated Bill Cipher." The man said as he approached Dipper.

"I had assumed it was her… but you are different. Your mind is as hers. You are superior than others."

"I'm the one you want. I defeated Bill Cipher." Dipper shouted.

"You are the one I want. So be it."

A strange white glow began enveloping Dipper. He felt his muscles bound together and unable to move. As the man's power left Mabel, she stirred and lifted her head.

"Wha… what's going on?" she said confusedly. She dotted her head around and spotted Dipper. She turned to a worried expression as she saw him tearing up.

"Mabel… I love you." he said.

Mabel attempted to run towards him before being forced back by the supernatural force.

"Dipper!"

There was a blinding flash. Mabel covered her eyes as she fell backwards. When she opened them again, Dipper and the man had vanished.

Mabel cried as she attempted to piece together what had happened. She stood up and looked around, unable to place her location. Then she saw a lantern in the distance. She ran towards the source of the light to find Stan coming into the clearing.

"Mabel? What the hell is going on?!" he shouted.

Mabel ran up and hugged him.

"Dipp… Dipper's gone." she muttered.

"Where is he? What's happened to him?"

"There was a man earlier. He took Dipper. They disappeared."

Stan moved her off and started walking back towards the shack.

"Mabel, we aren't going to let some two-bit nutball take Dipper. We'll find out what's going on."

Mabel and Stan walked back into the Mystery Shack. Stan entered the secret key-code on the vending machine and took Mabel down into the basement, next to the broken-down portal. He walked over to a red phone and picked it up.

"It's Stan… I need your help. It's… Dipper's been taken by something… No, that's not a world threatening crisis, but you owe him for saving your sorry asses! Send your men down here, NOW!"

Stan slammed the phone down before taking Mabel back up the stairs.

"Where are those journals?" he asked.

"They're upstairs. I'll go get them."

Mabel hurried up into the attic and brought the journals back down.

"We already looked through them and didn't find anything."

"Then we look again. Tell me exactly what happened so I can help."

"The man took Dipper away in a flash of light. The man looked creepy and old, like his skin was crusting and falling off."

"That's not a lot to go on, but we need to start somewhere. You take one and two, I'll check three."

_Daylight_

Mabel and Stan were reading the journals throughout the night, but they found no mention of the strange man that had appeared. Eventually, they heard several cars pulling up outside the shop. Stan walked outside and found several unmarked, black vans and at least twenty different agents.

"Stan Pines, I'm Agent Phillips. I'm here about the disappearance of your nephew."

"About time you showed up. Come in, we've got to talk."

Stan took the officer into the kitchen and explained the situation while the rest of the officers waited outside.

"So, you have no idea who or what did this and you have no leads."

Stan remained silent.

"So, we'll get started on setting up a parameter, see if we can find anything. You and your niece should head up to Washington. We have a facility that keeps track of these sorts of things. Maybe you and her can find a lead. I'll have one of my men take you up there."

The two men stood up from the table and moved out.

_Nighttime in Washington_

"You know, I thought you meant D.C. when you said we were going to Washington." Mabel said to the man in black.

"Ever since the Oregon incident, we've had a base close by in case anymore world ending catastrophes develop."

Mabel and Stan were escorted into the archives, a nearly endless maze of old books, papers, and assorted documents of the strange occurrences throughout the globe.

"Where do we start?" Mabel asked gloomily.

"We have a head called the keeper. He has a photographic memory and knows everything catalogued here."

Mabel and Stan followed the agent to a small office door. Inside, a short, shriveled man with glasses was reading through several documents.

"Ah, welcome! Welcome! You two are the Pines Family!"

"How'd you know?" Mabel asked.

"I read the files. So why are you two here?"

Mabel walked up and explained to the man, who looked disheartened at the news.

"I see… I always wanted to meet the Pines duo. I'm sorry; there haven't been any other recorded appearances of what you've described."

Mabel's expression went blank at his words. Tears started forming in her eyes as she fell down and curled up. Stan took a seat next to her and wrapped her in a hug.

"Don't worry, we aren't giving up. We'll find a way to get him back."

Mabel fell into her great uncle's embrace.

_Dipper, where are you?_

Elsewhere

_Where am I? Oh, God!_

Dipper screamed as searing pain shot through his body.

"You belong to me, now. When your mind is broken, you shall serve me forever."


	2. Dreams

_Where am I? _

The blank shape wandered the barren landscape. All was as a desert, extending forever. It walked endlessly, searching for something.

_Piedmont, California_

"What's with that girl? She looks so sad."

"You didn't hear? What rock have you been living under?"

"What happened?"

"Her twin brother went missing over the summer. Just vanished into nowhere. Those two were inseparable, and now it's like a piece of her soul got torn out."

The first teen put her hand over her heart. She stood up from the lunch table and walked over to the somber teen, who was fiddling with the mush of food on her plate. Mabel looked up to see a new face come over. Mabel greeted the girl with a half-smile before returning to her plate.

"Hi." the teen awkwardly said.

"Hello." Mabel replied.

"I… um…"

"Thanks for caring." Mabel muttered.

"I just don't know what to say… I guess… if you ever need anything, I'll be there to help."

"Thanks."

Mabel returned to playing with her food as the pair sat silently together.

_Nowhere_

_Who am I?_

The blank shape continued wandering the endless landscape. It came across an oasis and looked in, spotting no reflection, and tried to drink the water. It found that there was no taste or fill before the oasis vanished into a gust of sand. It stood up and started walking again.

_Piedmont California_

Mabel moved through the school hallways silently; most simply ignored her nowadays, sensing only a vague presence like a whisper or ghost. As she walked out of the school towards the bus, she met a familiar face.

"Hi, Mabel." the girl said cheerfully.

"Hi, uh…"

"My names Sofia."

"Sofia, right. What did you want?"

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out or do something?"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Well, okay… just… if you ever need anything, I'll be there."

"Okay, I'll see you around Sofia."

Mabel got on the bus and went home.

_Nowhere_

The shape wandered through the endless desert. It passed by the remains of a towering pyramid; broken, bleeding, and half-buried beneath the sand. It stood and watched, uncertain as to where it has seen this thing before.

_California_

Mabel walked into her room, ignoring her parents' attempts to speak with her. She locked the door and stumbled into her bed before bursting into tears. She shoved her face into the pillow and cried until her eyes stung. Eventually, she heard a knock on the door.

"Go away."

"There's a call for you. Someone called Keys Peers?"

_What kind of dumb name is that? Keys Peers? Key Peer? Keeper?!_

Mabel got off the bed and rushed to open the door. She yanked the phone out of her mother's hands and began speaking.

"Hello, Mabel?"

"It's you. Have you finally found something?"

"I haven't had any luck on the strange man, but there is some information that might help you."

"What is it?"

"Well, I went looking around the globe through the different paranormal archives. Nothing related to what happened to you, but there is some information. It's an old book that was used by some psychic. It details how one can access a place called the dreamscape."

"Huh?"

"It's the place where the unconscious mind travels in dreams. Two minds can connect through it. You need a strong connection to the person you're trying to find. That's why I can't help you anymore than sending the book your way."

"Th-thanks!" Mabel shouted into the phone.

"No problem. I'll have it sent to you. Just be careful."

"Why?"

"Don't go wandering through the dreamscape too much… the psychic who wrote this eventually traveled too far and lost his mind."

"Well, isn't that always the case?" Mabel joked, hopeful for the first time in months.

"Yeah, you'd think these writers would learn by now." the keeper replied humorlessly from the other line.

Mabel handed the phone back to her mother, clinging to the hope that she could find Dipper again.

_Two days later_

Mabel took the unmarked package from the van outside her house. She quickly dashed up into her room, telling her parents not to disturb her. There it was, the book of the dreamscape. Mabel began reading through the contents, eager to find out how to make contact through the unconscious mind.

_To travel the dreamscape requires a blank state of mind, undistracted by the outside universe. It requires one to shut out all other powers and senses, to become one with nothing but their own mind and who you wish to see…_

… _I finally made contact with my brother across the seas! We've been communicating through our dreams. You must hold the person you wish to speak to in your mind. Not just their name, and not just their appearance, but __**who **__they are. What they mean to you, their ideas, their thoughts, their feelings, the way they speak, the smell on their clothes, everything. Anything that you know about them, you must remember it and hold it within your mind, then call out into the infinite dreamscape…_

… _I have discovered how to call others when you are awake. You must master the state of your mind, to be able to shut it down as if you were dreaming…_

… _I have attempted to bring others in on my quest. I have found that while others can help you reach across by combining your minds, not everyone is capable of entering the dreamscape with you. And unbelievers in the circle may hinder your efforts._

… _I have found out how to access other's minds. I can harness my own mind and reach out to others. The minds can blend, and I can see the outlines of their whole being. Their path through existence, their history, their fears, all appear as if frozen into place. I must continue my work…_

… _the dreamscape is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined! You can enter the minds of others and see them for how they see the world. It's as if you are truly seeing through their own eyes. And you can reach outward, past the minds of humanity. I can see how simpler creatures view existence. I can comprehend the minds of lesser beings. And I can view everything at once! I can make my mind view the dreamscape of the world, a blanket of ever changing shapes throughout a barren desert…_

…_I will go farther than I ever have today. I will call out across the heavens and call upon the divine and those who are dead. I shall make our worlds as one through the power of the mind…_

The next few pages were blank, aside from some random scribbling and drawings of unknown worlds. But then Mabel reached the end of the psychic's journey, and she felt a twinge of fear.

… _it's him it's him He saw me Do not enter the dreamscape He'll find you and he showed me things I can't go on like this. No more it won't leave my head I'm sorry_

Mabel put the book down and took a deep breath. If there was a chance that she could find Dipper, she was going to take it no matter the cost to her own sanity. She steadied her breathing; she moved everything out of the way and closed the blinds. She put all the distractions of the world out of her mind, and she thought of Dipper. Everything about him; his smile, his ruffled hair, his obsessions with the strange and the odd, that silly hat of his. She focused on how he gets down and depressed at times. How her goofiness always drags him out of it. She focused on that strange smell he gets when he's too lazy to shower. And she focused her mind.

_Nowhere_

The shape shambled around, a half-aware zombie that knew something was wrong but it could never figure out what. Then it heard a call. A shout echoing through the infinite nothing.

"Dipper!"

_Dipper?... Dip… my name is Dipper._


	3. Memories

"How is he still fighting?"

"Something is helping him cling to his world. It does not matter how long it takes, I will have the one who destroyed Bill Cipher."

_The dreamscape_

"Dipper!"

"Wha… who are you?"

"It's me, Mabel!"

"Mabel…"

Before Dipper could approach the familiar voice, he felt agony pierce through his body. He attempted to fight it off, but the voice that called out vanished. Dipper now remained alone in the barren wasteland. But now he had more to keep him going. He had hope for that comforting voice to return, and he had a name. A small piece of self.

_Mabel's house_

"Mabel! Dinner's ready!"

Mabel was shook from her trance by the sound of her mother, who was standing in the doorway. Mabel grew angry.

"I told you not to come in! I told you not to disturb me!" Mabel shouted.

Her mother stumbled back.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Mabel muttered before sitting back down, gloomily.

"Hey, it's alright. I should have listened to you. What were you doing in here, anyways?"

Mabel looked down at the book across from her and sighed.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I… I was trying to find Dipper through a dream." Mabel said disheartened.

Her mother came in and sat down next to her.

"I know this is difficult, sweetie, but I don't think Dipper is coming back. I just…"

Mabel's mother started crying.

"It's just, you have to accept that there isn't anything we can do. I'm sorry."

"But I saw him, mom."

"I'm sure you did."

"No, I _saw_ him. Not some random dream thingy."

"I'm sorry, Mabel, but that was just a dream."

"… I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Mabel said with a sigh.

Mabel moved over and retrieved the old book and closed it before standing up with her mother and going downstairs.

_The dreamscape_

Dipper fought against his pain. He walked through the barren desert of the dreamscape, wandering among the endless wasteland. But he had a name now, and someone to look forward to seeing again. He bumped his foot on something. He dug through the sand and took out a blurred object that seemed to fade into existence. A short, little man in strange clothes.

"…gnomes."

Another memory; he saw these things somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place where. He stumbled around again before remembering. That voice was with him when he found them. They were together.

_Who is she? Friend…. no, family._

Dipper felt a warm glow in his chest even as the pain from an unknown source continued to carve into him.

_Mabel's house_

Mabel stayed up late into the night until her parents went to bed. They kept her downstairs for most of the time, afraid she might try to harm herself upstairs. Mabel went back into her room and read under the small light by her bed.

…_if one finds themselves struggling to make and hold contact, there are ways to assist. Find an object or objects of the person you hold dear. Hold them close. Know how this was a piece, however small, of the person you wish to contact. Hold it close as if you were holding the person themselves. Use it as an anchor for your mind._

Mabel walked out of her room and went into Dipper's. She looked through his clothes before she assembled them into his old look. She took the things into the room with her and held them, molding them into the image of Dipper in her mind. She closed her mind off to all other things except him, before she fell over.

_The dreamscape_

"Dipper!"

Mabel appeared in a strange wasteland. As she fell further into the dreamscape, it morphed into several familiar shapes. Pieces of Mabel's past, cleaved out of time and frozen in place. She wandered past the faded memories, searching for her brother.

"Dipper!" she shouted again.

She walked through the mixture of her home city, covered in the trees from Gravity Falls. She found a strange blurred shape through a clearing in the forest, observing a giant half-man half-bull.

"Who are you?"

"Mabel?" it replied.

"…Dipper?" she said as she moved closer.

"…yes, that's my name, isn't it?"

Mabel ran over and tried to hug him, but found that she moved right through him. He was like an out of focus image, or something viewed through poor eyes. She started crying as she tried to hold him, but found that nothing was happening.

"Dipper, what happened to you?"

"… I don't know. All that matters is that you're here."

"Do you know where you are?"

"I don't know, really. This thing, what is it? I've seen it before."

"I've never actually seen that thing… ooh, do you know what that means?!"

"What?"

"You're not a hallucination!"

Mabel shouted as she fist-bumped

"Take that, Mom!"

Dipper couldn't help but laugh, even as he continued to feel a searing pain building up.

"That's… that's just like you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"That energy, the liveliness. _That's _Mabel."

"Yep, and I'm never changing." she said, her spirits lifting with every moment.

"So, Dipper, do you know where you are?"

"We're… in Gravity Falls?"

"In this dream, yeah, but do you know where you really are?"

"I… I don't know what you mean."

"You… you do realize we're dreaming, right?"

"You mean… you're not real?"

"No, of course I'm real! It's just, _this_ isn't real. This whole place. It's built from our shared memories. We're together with a lot of it, but there's some stuff I don't recognize, like that Minotaur thingy."

"I… I think it's called a Manotaur?"

"Well, whatever it's called, it means you're seeing the same stuff I'm seeing, right? The forest and city?"

"Yes."

"Good! Let's go for a walk down memory lane!"

Mabel tried to grab him by the hand, but remembered she couldn't hold him. Then she signaled him into following her.

Mabel dragged him through the memories, trying to get him to remember his own self. They silently watched the events of their lives.

"Who's that kid with you?"

"Huh?"

"That boy that's been with you? I keep seeing him."

"Dipper… that's you."

The shape stopped. It stood in place as it comprehended those words before it moved in closer. It took in the shape of a very strong memory. Something it could feel. It was during summer break when Dipper and Mabel were both eight. Mabel was outside, playing with the hose on the sidewalk while the strange boy watched, laughing. The memory began playing itself, speeding up into real time.

"Hey Mabel, cut that out." The memory of Dipper shouted as he was blasted with the hose.

"Make me!"

Dipper tackled Mabel as the real pair watched. They played on the sidewalk, laughing and fighting for control of the hose. As Dipper managed to grab control of the hose, he started spraying Mabel.

"Ah! Stop that!" she shouted as she ran down the street. Dipper ran after her until the hose ran out of length, leaving Mabel mocking him from a driveway. Mabel's eyes were closed as she laughed at her brother. Dipper then panicked; an oblivious driver was backing up, not paying attention behind him. Dipper darted out towards his sister and yanked her away just before the idiotic driver ran her over. They fell backwards onto the sidewalk as they watched the driver back up and leave, never even noticing the pair.

Then the real Mabel felt something. Hands wrapped around her, the sound of Dipper crying as tears fell onto her shirt.

"I thought you were going to die."

Mabel broke from his grasp after a few minutes and turned to look at her brother. He looked like Dipper again, the scraggily brown eyed male mirror of Mabel. She squealed with joy as she held him close, before Dipper groaned in pain.

"Uh, sorry. Wait, can dream hugs hurt?"

"It's not that… I've been in pain this whole time, but it just got worse… I remember. I was taken away by someone… Oh God, Mabel… I'm still missing, aren't I?"

Mabel nodded sorrowfully.

"How did you find me in the dreams?"

"There was a book. It had knowledge about how to go into the dream world and connect with others."

"Well, what else did it say? Is there any way I can contact someone else?"

"There is… but it's dangerous. The writer went too far and he found something."

Dipper looked down, disheartened.

"I'll find you. I don't care how long it takes, but I'll find you."

Before Dipper could move closer, Mabel began disappearing from view. Dipper reached out as she vanished, leaving him alone with his memories. But this time, he knew who he was. And he would cling to that through everything.


	4. Diabolus ex Machina

"Mabel, wake up, it's almost time for school!"

Mabel awoke from her dreams, called back into the waking world. Then a dreadful realization hit her. She remembered everything that had happened during the dream, and her promise to free her brother. Mabel hurried and got dressed before running down the stairs for breakfast.

_Elsewhere_

"He's fighting everything."

"Then put him through more. This child defeated Bill Cipher. I will not allow this shame to continue."

_California_

"Hey, Mabel."

"Sophia. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, and you seem to be in a better mood."

"I try. I mean, you can't cry forever, right?"

"I know. I was wondering, if maybe you wanted to hang out later?"

"Can't; I have a project I have to work on after school."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Eh, nothing really."

"Come on, you can tell me."

Mabel turned and looked Sofia straight in the eyes.

"I will attempt to penetrate the realm of dreams through a dark séance that could possibly lead to an encounter with an unfathomable eldritch horror beyond human comprehension."

Sofia started laughing.

"It is pretty funny, isn't it?"

_Four hours later_

Mabel had rushed through the rest of her classes, barely paying any attention to what the teachers had to say. She came home and had come running up the stairs to prepare to enter the dreamscape, only to find her mother waiting at the top.

"Mabel, I think we need to talk."

"No, I need to get in my room."

"Mabel, why were Dipper's clothes in your room?"

"… I was using it to help find him."

Mabel's mother sighed as she held her head.

"Mabel, there is nothing you can do."

"Yes there is! Come here, I'll show you."

Mabel dragged her mother into her room and picked up the book.

"Mom, look at this. This book shows you how to go into dreams. I've been there; I've been with Dipper."

Mabel's mother started crying.

"Mabel, please stop."

"No! I didn't just dream about meeting him, _I met him in my dreams_. I saw his memories; I saw things that I couldn't have seen, but that he saw."

"This isn't real! He's gone!"

Mabel went silent as her mother knocked the book out of her hand. Mabel glared before she picked it back up and walked off.

"Just because you've given up hope doesn't mean I have."

Mabel took the book and sat on the bed.

"Mom, you should go."

Mabel's mother left, crying as she slammed the door.

_The dreamscape_

Dipper started running. He could feel his mind fading a second time, possibly forever. He couldn't let everything fade again. He called out into the endless abyss. He tried to escape his own torment, his mind fleeing subconsciously into infinity. It felt like he was falling. He looked down to see his world shrinking, as if he was falling off the earth. He continued, brushing past stars and comets and watching other worlds pass him by, filled with strange creatures that defied explanation. Some were no larger than a man, and other's towered above all the mountains of earth. And he continued falling, watching as stars, then galaxies faded from view. Then he watched as the entire universe vanished into blackness. And then he landed.

He was in a blank landscape; piercing white light surrounded him, except for a small shadow in front of him. It moved forward, shifting into the shade of a human sitting on nothing.

"Hello... friend."

"Wh-what?"

Dipper stood up as the landscape came into view. His own memories fell around him, crashing into the ground with thunder. He was back in Gravity Falls, except the shadowy figure remained, watching him.

"Who… who are you?" Dipper cried out.

"A better question is, _who are you_?"

"Are you the one that took me?!"

The shade began to laugh, and its laugh echoed throughout the infinite abyss, as if an entire universe was mocking Dipper.

"_You_ called _me_. Not everyone has psychic potential like that. So the question remains, who are you?"

"My name is Dipper Pines. I think… I think I've been captured. I feel pain every moment."

The creature yawned.

"Boring."

"What?"

"Your types always call for help, and then you give me the same boring sob story."

The creature began mock crying.

"Oh help me, I'm drowning! Oh God, no, I'm on fire! Help me, I've awakened a million year old demon and it's eating my galaxy!"

The creature leaned back in its invisible chair.

"You know, for being one of my favorite species, you humans are quite dull when you want to make a deal. You always offer me your souls, or your eternal servitude, or someone of the opposite gender. I mean, your species invented pancakes! How can a species this amazing be so dull at the same time! SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME WANT TO KILL A GUY!"

The creatures shout seemed to tear at the fabric of the dream, piercing Dipper's subconscious. The pain from earlier was gone, now replaced by a burning feeling. It felt like Dipper's mind was on fire as his memories distorted backwards. His mind fell behind him, and in front he could see into the mind of the creature he was speaking with. A thousand fires that breached the heavens lit the background, Mushroom clouds and balls of smoke and flame moving out endlessly into the distance. Dipper looked up to see how far the fires rose, and he saw tiny balls. Millions of tiny balls, shattered, broken, and scattered across the heavens. And being connected with the dark being allowed him realize exactly what they were; planets. Millions of planets, all destroyed at the whims of an eternal god.

"How… how many planets have you destroyed?"

"I don't know, I lost count about four billion years ago."

"Why?"

"Because I'm bored. Do you have any idea what Eternity is like? It's boring. But then there are ways to have fun. That's why I allow humanity to live. One of the few species stuck in that sweet spot between barbarism and civilization. So I must ask you, are you one of the boring ones, or are you _fun?_"

Dipper thought long and hard about the question. He needed a way to escape, and this mad god might possibly be his only hope. A mad god, bored by infinity, and looking for ways to be entertained. Dipper decided to run with the only thing he could think of. One of Dipper's memories moved to the front.

The demonic entity watched curiously as the memory played itself.

"Well... who wants a lamby, lamby, lamby?  
I do! I do!  
So, go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy  
Hi there! Hi there!  
So march, march, march around the daisies,  
Don't, don't, don't you forget about the baby!"

The real Dipper made a bow, as if he had just shown off a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

"…Hehe."

The mad god began clapping as its giggling fit rose into mindless laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The creature fell over on its sides as it continued laughing, thrashing about.

"Are you okay?" Dipper asked.

The creature steadied its laughter and stood, then walked over to Dipper and shook his hand.

"We have a deal. Nyarlathotep, interdimensional terrorist, anarchist, and mischief maker, at your service."

"I don't know where I am, but look for my sister Mabel in Gravity Falls, Oregon. You can help her find me!"

Dipper felt his dream world begin fading, his own memories splitting from the scene of Armageddon. Dipper could feel calm in his mind, the pain of his initial tormentors paling in comparison to being connected with the mind of an ancient monster.

"Why won't he break?!" a voice shouted angrily.

Dipper finally woke up from his long dream. He knew who he was, and he now had hope that he could be saved. He grinned to himself before he felt lashes flay the skin on his back.

_Mabel's House_

Mabel was quietly eating Dinner when the doorbell rang. Mabel's father opened it.

"Ah, Uncle Stan. What brings you around here?"

"I wanted to see Mabel; see how she's doing. Is she here?"

"Yes, come right in."

As Stan walked in the door, he was followed by Soos and a darkly clad stranger. The group walked into the dining room and sat down. The strange man was eyeing Mabel like a wolf stalking its prey.

"Why are you looking at my daughter like that?" Mabel's father asked accusingly.

The dark man ignored him and smiled. Mabel turned away from the creepy man and spoke to her great uncle.

"So, Grunkle Stan; what brings you down here?"

"It's a long story."

_Earlier in Gravity Falls_

"PINES!"

A voice shouted into the room occupied by two naked teenagers.

"Is there a Pines in here?!"

The teens screamed as they covered their bodies. The old god walked over and opened the closet as the terrified teenagers lay on the bed.

"Nope. No Pines. Well, I'll be leaving you two to your mating."

Nyarlathotep stepped out into the street, skipping the staircase and living room of the house he just violated by teleporting.

"So many doors. So little time."

Over by the mystery shack, Soos was manning the counter of the store while an old lady was paying for a useless trinket. A mysterious shape instantly appeared outside the doors and kicked them open.

"PINES!"

The scream caused the old lady to grab her chest and fall over. Soos ran over to help her reach her heart medicine while the giggling old god wandered through the store. Stan stumbled in rubbing his back to figure out what the disturbance was about.

"Is somebody shouting in here?"

As Stan came in, he spotted the strange man walking up to a selection of hats with tree markings on them.

"Uh, can I help you sir?"

The ancient god turned around, holding the hat in his hand as he chewed into it.

"Uh, do you need me to find your happy pills?" Stan asked in the nicest voice he could muster.

Nyarlathotep simply grinned, shredded fabric stuck between his teeth.

"This, sir… is a Pines hat. Where's the other?"

"The other what?"

"The other Pines. I've been… hired, and I need her to come along for the fun."

Stan grew furious and picked up a crowbar

"Where the hell is my nephew?!"

Stan swung at the strange man, who simply grabbed the piece of metal in his hand and melted it.

"I don't know where your nephew is. That's why I need the second Pines, and since you're also related to them, you get to live."

"…Who the hell are you?"

"A Mercenary. Your nephew cried out in his nightmares, and I was listening. So we made a deal."

"If you want a soul, you can have mine."

"Soul?! What do you take me for, some hackneyed goat-man?! I have no interest in mortal spirits."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"I want the other Pines so I can free her brother from eternal torment at the hands of a monster. It's quite simple when you use your brain."

Stan grumbled in annoyance.

"I'm coming with you, and if you are who you say you are, then I won't kill you."

As the dark god put his hand out to shake Stan's hand, Soos ran over and smashed his head open with a chunk of metal.

"Fuck, Soos! That was our best chance at finding Dipper!"

Nyarlathotep began giggling as his head reformed.

"I think brain bashing is my favorite way to die as a human. So much tingly nerves. Well, shall we go Mr. Pines?"

The dark god grabbed Soos and Stan and walked with them out the door.

_Mabel's house_

"I'd like to hear it Grunkle Stan."

"Just forget it… I need to speak to you in private."

"Well, anything you need to say to Mabel you can say to us." Mabel's mother said.

Stan chuckled awkwardly as Mabel's father stood up and looked at the stranger.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Sorry, can't. I've been hired by the twins."

"…what did you say?"

"I've been hired by the twins. Are you deaf?"

Mabel stood up and looked at the shadowy figure, who gave her a smile in return.

"Where's Dipper?" Mabel asked sternly.

The dark god replied by bobbing his head to a musical beat only he heard.

"What are you doing?" Mabel asked, now more confused than anything.

"Who needs their lamby, lamby, lamby  
You do! You do!  
So get up and greet the loony, loony, loony  
Hi there! Hi there!  
Then we'll march, march, march around the bodies  
of our bloodied, mangled, broken enemies!"

Mabel's face distorted into a combination of anger, sadness, and confusion while her mother started crying.

The dark god giggled at the bizarre expression on Mabel's face.

"That face… I love when people make that face. Your brother contacted me, and now I need to know where he is."

He stood up and walked over to Mabel and grabbed her hand.

"Mabel, my dear… where was your brother last seen?"

"…Gravity Falls."

In a blink, Mabel, Stan, and Nyarlathotep shifted back into the mystery shack. The old lady jumped at their sudden reappearance and fainted.

"So, Miss Mabel; where, exactly, was the last spot that Dipper was seen?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because amateur teleportation often leaves a trail. And considering Earth isn't part of any extra-dimensional alliance, there will probably be some sign."

Mabel escorted the group out into the forest. She moved through the trees and came out into a clearing. She walked up into the same spot that Dipper vanished from.

"This is where it happened."

Nyarlathotep walked up into the circle and closed his eyes.

"Yes… that's where they've gone. Mabel, my dear… have you ever been to Romania?"

_Outside, elsewhere_

Two guards were patrolling the outside of the mansion when a strange group came walking up.

"Uh, sorry miss, this is private property."

They heard a scream from inside the mansion.

"Damn it." One guard said before taking out his gun and preparing to kill the witnesses.

Stan walked past Mabel and punched the guard in the face. Before the other one could respond, Nyarlathotep opened his gaping maw and tore into the guard's neck. He swallowed a chunk of flesh as the guard fell down, clutching at the hole in his neck. As the other guard stood up, Stan grabbed his gun and aimed it.

"Did you know that the man who owns this mansion is a demonic psychopath that kidnaps kids and turns them into mindless puppets?"

The guard looked down, ashamed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Stan said before pulling the trigger.

"Now, the real fun starts." The dark god said with malicious glee.

"Hey, these bastards stole my nephew. I'm going in with you. Mabel, stay here and wait for a sign."

"What sign?" Mabel asked. Nyarlathotep replied.

"When the screams and gunfire stop. Then you can follow us."

Mabel watched as the two walked past the gates, ready for battle.

"So I have to ask, Stan the man. What's your history with the pair? And what's so special about them that some two-bit demon wants them?"

"Nothing, really. They're just ordinary kids who got stuck saving the world one day. We stopped some psycho called Bill Cipher."

"Ooh, lil' Billy? How's he been? Last I checked he was making a name for himself."

"He's dead, or as dead as an evil spirit can be."

"Ah, kids these days. They grow up so fast, and then get wacked by some fleshies. Honestly, it's embarrassing. So Mister Pines, how about a competition? The one with the highest body count gets the first shot at the one in charge."

"Works for me."

Outside, Mabel was waiting. She watched as the two walked in. Several seconds later, gunfire. Then screaming. There was yelling throughout the mansion. Mabel could see through the windows as an unnatural shadow overwhelmed several guards. As it past, it left a mangled, bloody mess. Windows shattered, and strange tentacle-like appendages shot out, impaling several bodies and throwing them outside. After several minutes, the sounds of the massacre ended. Mabel decided to walk through the gates and into the manor. She opened the door to find Stan on a staircase above a large doorway, finishing off one of the armed guards and snapping his neck. There were several bodies throughout the entrance, and behind the doorway strange sounds could be heard. Nyarlathotep phased through the doors humming the Lamby Song as he twirled a chunk of bone.

"So what's your kill count, Stan? Ah, don't tell me. Pretty sure I won."

The dark god kicked the doors opened.

"So, Mabel… what do you think of my art?"

Mabel walked into the main hall, where the worst of the massacre took place. A large dining area, filled with mutilated and broken bodies. Several guards hung from the chandelier, suspended on meat hooks as they stirred slightly. Several dozen bodies were forced into a small fireplace, their limbs and bones sticking out the side as blood poured through the bottom of the fleshy mass. Several men were impaled and suspended from the walls by the bones of their comrades. And one man was left alive, shaking in the corner of the room and whimpering.

Mabel turned and hurled to the side, the stench of the bodies starting to overwhelm the room.

"…Jesus." Stan muttered.

"Never met him." Nyarlathotep said as he started walking past his carnage.

Stan and Mabel reluctantly followed, maneuvering past the bodies as they walked towards a large staircase leading down into the basement.

"Ooh, spooky. Well, ladies first." the malicious god said with a smirk as he moved out of the way. Stan walked past him and started going down the stairs. Mabel followed, with the dark god lazily walking behind. They walked down into the inner sanctum, an old dungeon lit by torches. They approached a door with a light behind it. Mabel walked up and opened the door, leading into a large room. Several robbed figures were standing with swords, ready to fight for their dark master. The old man sat upon a dark throne. And in the center of the room, chained to the floor, was Dipper.

Dipper was broken, dark symbols and ancient rites carved into his skin. Dried blood covered his torso, and he looked up weakly. When he saw who was there, he smiled.

"…Mabel." he muttered softly.

Mabel attempted to run up and grab him before Stan held her back. The dark warriors had come forward, ready to defend their prize. Stan clenched his fists and prepared to fight to the death. Then they all heard a gagging sound. Nyarlathotep made a grotesque hiccupping sound as he barfed up a sword. The blade's light burned the alien slime off it. The old god picked it up and handed the weapon over to Stan.

"Blade from the dead emperor of the Sylcoteen. Should be more than enough to help you. Now, before we get started on this little game. I must ask, why Dipper?"

The old man stood from his throne and looked down upon the dark trickster.

"An ordinary boy who got lucky and ruined a minor god? What's the point?!"

"He destroyed Bill Cipher. That boy ruined the old god. I was to be the one to destroy Bill Cipher. My ancient nemesis was killed by a human, and I could not allow this shame to continue. When you are all dead, I shall make this lowly creature into one of my elite guard."

As the dark god began giggling at the absurd reasoning behind the old man's scheme, Stan charged at one of the guards and caught it by surprise. He managed to cut the head off the robbed man while blocking the blow from another. As the other three walked towards Stan, Nyarlathotep ran at them with an insatiable bloodlust in his eyes. One of the other guards swung its sword at him, but Nyarlathotep caught it in his mouth and clamped down, shattering the blade.

Stan dueled with the other guard, closing in and punching the hooded figure in the face. Knocking it off balance, Stan took the sword and stabbed the robbed warrior but not before being stabbed himself. However, the magical blade glowed brighter, as the blood from his enemy passed through the sword and healed him, shattering the enemy's sword in two as Stan's wounds closed.

Mabel took advantage of the lull in the defenses and ran up to Dipper. She tried to carry him away, but she was forced down by the pale glow of the ancient warlock's magic.

'I will not allow you to interfere. This time, I shall take both of you!"

Stan charged up the steps and attempted to strike the vicious monster down, but he was forced back by the old man's powers. Nyarlathotep had finished his massacre of the other guards and began to walk up the stairs next to Stan, before being forced in place by the old wizard.

"I will not allow you maggots to harm me! My powers are far beyond your imagining!"

The dark god began laughing as he forced himself forward, his mortal flesh breaking and ripping at the force being pressed on it.

"Fool, you cannot defy me! I have walked the Earth since the dawn of human history. I shall not be defied by a lowly creature!"

The mad god began laughing harder as he continued walking forward. The old wizard let Stan and Mabel go, his powers now focused completely on the impossible figure marching towards him.

"You cannot defy me! I am a god!"

Nyarlathotep was now staring down the wizard and spoke.

"You are not a god… You are an infant, screaming in the dark, thinking the world belongs to you, oblivious to the true nature of existence."

"Wh… what are you?"

"There are the young gods, youthful and full of vigor, claiming the world as their own before being snuffed out. Then there are the gods behind the gods, ancient powers that can destroy worlds with a thought. And then there's me."

The ancient beast walked up; it was now right in the wizard's face, its otherworldly breath exhaling into the nostrils of its foe.

"BOO!"

The old man tripped backwards; he fell off the steps to his throne and landed below, crippled. He began crawling towards the twins. Mabel was holding her sleeping brother, weeping onto his shoulders.

"Mercy." The man said as he crawled over. Mabel simply looked at him, hate filling her eyes.

Stan and Nyarlathotep came walking back down the stairs, Stan with a stern look of vengeance and the old monster smiling, amused at the entire situation.

"Mabel, you're brother hired me. Then he gave my leash over to you, so tell me. What are your orders?"

Mabel looked up at the gleeful god as Stan came over and comforted her.

"Break him." Mabel muttered.

Nyarlathotep began clapping as he walked over to the old man. Then his skin cracked open; A fissure in his entire body, starting at his head and moving all the way down to his waist. Air began flowing from the shell in the fleshy avatar. Then it began sucking in. A hole in the fabric of creation as the air around the group was sucked into the wound in the dark god's chest. The old wizard clung to the steps desperately before being sucked in, vanishing from the universe as the hole snapped shut.

"And now, for my next trick." The god walked over and took the magic blade from the steps, then walked over to the group by the altar. He cut the chains holding Dipper down. He maneuvered the weapon into Dipper's hands, and then fell upon the blade. The human blood from Nyarlathotep's avatar seeped through the sword and entered Dipper, healing his wounds and rejuvenating his starved body. Dipper awoke with a gasp for air; his eyes darted around randomly before focusing on the source of water dripping onto his face.

"Mabel? Is that you?"

Mabel hugged her brother and squealed, happy for the first time in half a year as she cradled Dipper.

"OhmyGodIthoughtIwouldneverseeyougainareyouokayyoustillaren'thurtareyou!"

"I'm… I'm fine, silly. Just, what happened?"

Before Mabel could reply, the world became brighter. As their eyes adjusted to the sudden light, the group found themselves back in the Mystery Shack. Nyarlathotep let go of the three and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Mabel asked.

"I must be off. So much to do, so little time. I hope we meet again. You and your brother are interesting; I like interesting. Goodbye."

As the god turned away, he walked out of existence, vanishing without a trace.

_Mabel's house_

"What do you mean, they just vanished?"

"Oh, God, they just disappeared. They vanished without a trace!"

"Ma'am, I need you to explain; what, exactly, happened to them?"

"One second they were there, and the next they were gone!"

As the officer scratched his head, a large van pulled up, filled with several men in black suits and sunglasses. They walked inside, escorted by a short, old man with large glasses.

"Officer, we'll take it from here."

"Who are you?"

"Special Services, Keys Peers. We'll take over from here. My men will help you outside."

Several agents escorted the officer outside and into the back of the van. Several seconds later, the officer stumbled out, his memory wiped of recent events. Back inside, the keeper was bringing the parents in on the recent turn of events.

"Who are you?" the twin's dad asked.

"I'm with special services, although our official name cannot be spoken here. Your phones were tapped; we were listening in, hoping that there might have been some sign or call concerning our mutual friend, Dipper Pines."

"You know about Dipper?!"

"We know that he went missing early in the summer; what was kept out of the official police report, however, was that he was taken away by an unknown force that vanished into thin air. When we heard that you called the police, and that your daughter and uncle were taken away by a similar man, we assembled a task force and now here we are."

"Wh… just what is going on?"

The old man rubbed his nose, annoyed as if he was trying to explain advanced biology to two children. Soos walked in from the kitchen, holding a bag of potato chips.

"So… how's it going, Mr. secret-government-agent-man?" he replied, oblivious to the commotion.

"Oh, Soos, have you tried explaining the situation to these two?"

"Not yet. Should I?"

"It might help."

Soos walked over to the traumatized Pines family.

"Okay, I'm going to try and explain this as simply as I can. Dipper was kidnapped by some unknown, evil force. Somehow, he made contact with some ancient creature older than most of the universe and convinced it to help rescue him. This thing teleported Stan and I over here, then teleported Stan and Mabel back to Gravity Falls, presumably to follow the trail to lead to Dipper. Do you want some potato chips? You look like you need something to chew."

The Pines' parents fell onto the couch, their minds buried in questions. Just then, the phone began ringing. Soos walked over and picked it up.

"Pines residence…"

Soos walked over and handed the phone over to the parents.

"I think you two will want to hear this."

Mabel's mother put the phone up to her ear.

"Hey…" a familiar voice said weakly over the other line.

"Dipper?! Oh my God!"

"Hi mom. "

"Are you alright?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm good. Mabel and Stan are with me. We're back in the Mystery Shack. Apparently I've been missing for five months. I… I love you guys."

Dipper sniffled over the phone, crying at the other end.

"I… I think we have a lot of catching up to do."


End file.
